Wajima, Japan, March 26, 2007—
Nearly flattened buildings in Wajima catch a postman's eye on March 26. An earthquake hit the town, in northern Japan's Ishikawa prefecture, early on March 25, registering 6.9 on the Richter scale.

But the country's new one-minute warning system provided enough time for most people to escape unharmed, with only one death recorded.